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Heart Attack Grill spokseman, Blair River, dead at 29
Who says there isn't truth in advertising? Blair River, the 575-pound man who made a name for himself pitching for Phoenix, Arizona's Heart Attack Grill, died March 1 at only 29 years old.
It doesn't appear to be the result of a heart attack -- The Arizona Republic reports his demise was "possibly from contracting pneumonia after a bout with the flu" -- but Blair appeared in ads that joked about premature death for years.
Blair's spots for the grill ended in a mocking medical advisory, warning of possible "sudden weight gain," "tooth decay," "stroke," and "mild death."
Not that funny -- and definitely not in hindsight.
"Cynical people might think this (River's death) is funny," restaurant founder Jon Basso tells the Arizona Republic. "But people who knew him are crying their eyes out. There is a lot of mourning going on around here."
It's hard to imagine anyone finds the death funny. But the non-cynics among us might expect a little more accountability from a restaurant than "free food for patrons over 350 pounds."
It doesn't appear to be the result of a heart attack -- The Arizona Republic reports his demise was "possibly from contracting pneumonia after a bout with the flu" -- but Blair appeared in ads that joked about premature death for years.
Blair's spots for the grill ended in a mocking medical advisory, warning of possible "sudden weight gain," "tooth decay," "stroke," and "mild death."
Not that funny -- and definitely not in hindsight.
"Cynical people might think this (River's death) is funny," restaurant founder Jon Basso tells the Arizona Republic. "But people who knew him are crying their eyes out. There is a lot of mourning going on around here."
It's hard to imagine anyone finds the death funny. But the non-cynics among us might expect a little more accountability from a restaurant than "free food for patrons over 350 pounds."
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Photo/Video credit: Heart Attack Grill
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Well, that's a wrongful death suit waiting to happen.
I'm very sorry to hear that he passed at such an early age, but this is honestly the most horrible restaurant in the world. You can't tell me that his flu and subsequent pneumonia didn't have something to do with his morbid obesity.
Funny? No. Ironic, definitely. A cautionary tale? Hopefully.
If only we would obey our Nanny-state overlords, we would all live forever.
That YouTube video is disgusting. There's nothing funny or pleasant about watching a severly, morbidly obese person trying to act like it's okay to look like that. Those people are all miserable inside and they are hurt and upset by what they see in the mirror everyday, they just don't want the rest of us to know it. Good Lord, look at the guy...I'm surprised he lived to be 29. And all you people that are going to jump on me and say "not everyone cares about the way they look", BS.
He ate there for free? Then I find his death funny, I bet his finale word was BURP!
Unfortunately, he won't be getting the last laugh as obesity is no laughing matter. This restaurant sucks and he only did this to himself!
U peole should watch ur mouths he tried for years to lose weight he was always heavy in in high school. This man left a daughter behind lots of friends and family. P.S. it was phemounia
The restaurant and ads had nothing to do with his death. Morbid Obesity is just what it sounds like. (Death by being really overweight). Obesity is both cause and effect. Some people just can't lose weight which they have had a problem with since child-hood. If the man needed money to support himself and his child then he made his own choice.
Serves him right; shouldn't've eaten there and should've been a lot more active - perhaps this fat **** wouldn't've been as fat if he practiced a more healthier lifestyle. Hawking the disgusting crap at HAG is certainly not the way to do it...